Monday, February 13, 2012

Our Security is in His Hand

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. ~John 10:28

Jesus here is speaking to the Jews and in response to their question about whether He is the Messiah or not, He speaks to them about His sheep. Our Lord explains to them His sheep hear His voice and He knows them and He gives them eternal life! He also explains His sheep shall never perish; to perish here means to be destroyed, or to be punished in hell. The Son of God holds them so securely and so certainly, that no foe can surprise Him as a robber might, or overcome him by force. What a clear presentation of our security in Christ!

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~Romans 8:38,39

The Apostle Paul was persuaded our eternal life, the very security of it, rested in the Lord Jesus Christ! He understood perhaps better than anyone the highest honor which could be placed upon mortal man was the calling of Christ. He understood our salvation, and the very love we have for God, comes only through the power of Messiah and there is no salvation, or true love of God, outside the work of Christ. There truly is nothing which can shake our salvation loose from the hand of Jesus, the very hand of God...

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ~John 10:29

Jesus now tells the Jews it is God who has given Him these sheep and both the Father and the Son are pledged to keep them so they shall never fall away and perish. It would be impossible for any language to teach more clearly our salvation is secure. The salvation of our souls came not by our own power and is not kept by our own power. I understand some feel it is possible to lose one's salvation, I thought that once myself, but after reading the Scriptures and looking at what God says about the matter, I could only come to one conclusion...

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ~Ephesians 2:8-10